Ecotourism campaigns Have Succeeded As Witnessed In Arsal, North East Lebanon
Ecotourism in Lebanon really took off as a serious tourism activity in the year 1997 when people began to take annual trips to Arsal which is a huge village in North East Lebanon. The aim of the ecotourism campaigns used here were to add strength to the relations between the local community and those of the Association for Rural Development in Arsal (ARDA) that is a major player in environment and development activities, and is a non-government organization (NGO) as well as partner to Reforestation Network. They were to introduce the unique culture and also nature to friends of Arsal and also provide to ARDA a means to generate income.
Need For Better Organization And Coordination
In the recent past, this region has witnessed growth in ecotourism which has raised the need to have a well managed ecotourism campaign so that this sector can be better organized and there can also be better coordination with those that provide services and also to even certify these processes so that one knows which the proper services are.
Thus, in the year 2000, an organization known as Green Line set into motion the wheels that were to help in the development of ecotourism that ultimately took the shape of an ecotourism campaign that involved municipalities, youth groups as also NGOs. The program so developed included agro-tourism in the form of olive oil production, bee keeping as well as processing of cherries and apricots, and also ecotourism that was taking place in places such as Horsh Ehden, Kammoua, Barouk cedars as well as the valley Nahr Ibrahim.
This ecotourism campaign aimed at highlighting as well as publicizing ecotourism as a concept as well as a method to conserve natures resources while providing a means of earning an income to the local peoples. It also meant needing to coordinate between ecotourism providers and different municipalities as also governmental bodies and NGOs so that a viable network to sustain this form of tourism could be formed.
There have been a number of notable achievements that have resulted from this ecotourism campaign including of course assessing and developing ecotourism sites in places such as Mtein, building teams of experts in ecotourism and also being able to secure adequate sources of finance in the form of income as well as support.
In addition, this ecotourism campaign has been able to organize Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops meant to impart knowledge to teachers, staff involved in administration as well as for parents from many schools. It is ecotourism campaigns such as this that raises hope for being able to conserve nature in different parts of the world, while also sustaining local communities as well.
Ecotourism Pictures
So, having learnt a bit about ecotourism, there should be reason for you to consider it as a solution to your search for your next holiday destination that will benefit all of the players involved are they the natural biodiversity, the eco-tourist, the local community and most importantly, the environment.
In addition, this ecotourism campaign has been able to organize Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops meant to impart knowledge to teachers, staff involved in administration as well as for parents from many schools. Thus, in the year 2000, an organization known as Green Line set into motion the wheels that were to help in the development of ecotourism that ultimately took the shape of an ecotourism campaign that involved municipalities, youth groups as also NGOs. The timeline as mentioned before, dates back to the 1980s and tells its story all the way to the present day.
And, of late ecotourism is being promoted as an alternative to mass tourism, and thus there is a case for nature tourism and ecotourism to be viewed as a means of protecting, conserving and developing natural environments and also a way to provide economic benefits to local peoples and communities.
You should also be clear about ecotourism and realize that it needs to be sustained and this can only be done by using eco-friendly means of constructing buildings, and also conserving the soil while providing the local communities a means to prosper thanks to their culture and environment. Thus, while ecotourism debates rage on, it is nevertheless quite clear that in spite of the many problems, there is hardly any denying the fact that ecotourism does in fact encourage powers that be into at least thinking about conserving nature, though opinions will certainly differ on what need to be protected, and how as well as for whose benefit. Today, however this form of tourism is quite viable and it all really began in the early eighties though at that time its popularity was confined to small groups of people that showed their keenness in the environment.
Tourism brings with it a number of consequences that include social, cultural and environmental as well as economic growth and it is bound to have positive and negative aspects to it.
Though a lot of money that is earned from ecotourism is finding its way into paying for more schools, cultural improvement, temple maintenance and such like, there is the negative effects of ecotourism in that much money is also being spent on importing goods that usually are not beneficial to the local economy. Tourism is it mass tourism or ecotourism is certainly a vehicle that promotes better learning about different peoples and their cultures. The public had simply not been educated towards understanding the severity of the situation. Also, if we learn to recognize the importance of protecting biological diversity and properly regulate and manage these resources, we will benefit both the environment as well as see improved economic development. But, with new concerns about our environment coming to the fore, there has been a gradual shift in position and rethinking has led to the beginning of ecotourism. |
